Category Archives: Literacy Activities for Supply Teachers in EYFS

Choose a story the children are familiar with. Encourage them to change it – so, for example, The Very Hungry Caterpillar becomes The Very Sleepy Caterpillar. Re-enact together, or write / mark-make their new version and make into a class big book. (Links to PD, C&L, EAD)

Discuss the children’s favourite nursery rhymes. Change them and experiment with new rhyming words to use in their place. Older children could write the new rhymes, younger children could illustrate them. (Links to PD, EAD, C&L, PSED)

Play alliteration games, e.g. “I spy someone who is amazing and adorable and likes apples. Who do I spy?” Ask the children to attempt to identify the child whose name begins with the same initial sound. Similar games can be played with rhyming words. (Links to C&L, PSED)

Create own puppets at group time and use to act out a story in small groups. (Links to C&L, EAD)

Large scale mark-making or writing activity based on theme or topic (e.g. for a topic about firefighters, draw round a child and ask group to fill in details of who the person is, and what he is doing, what we know about them, what their job is, what they wear, what things they need / use etc.) More able / older children could label their pictures. (Links to UW, PSED, C&L)

Sing nursery rhymes and actions songs, using the musical instruments. Older children could talk about their favourites and make up alternative versions. (Links to EAD, C&L)

Share story sack props and ask the children to use them to retell / sequence a story accurately. (Settings will often have access to a range of story sacks, or you may be able to find objects from around the setting to supplement a story. Alternatively, you could develop a simple story sack of your own.) (Links to C&L, EAD)